Press Release

Blue Cross And Blue Shield Awards Grant To Louisiana Association For The Blind

June 19, 2012

BATON ROUGE – The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation on May 31 awarded a $12,500 grant to the Louisiana Association for the Blind (LAB), one of 200 nonprofit groups from across Louisiana that receive nearly $2 million in grants from the state’s largest health insurer.

Funds from the Blue Cross grant will be used to revise and update LAB’s Orientation and Adjustment to Blindness (OAB) curriculum. OAB is designed to help people who have lost or are losing their sight learn independent living and work readiness skills.

“Our mission at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is twofold,” said John Maginnis, the company’s vice president of Corporate Communications. “Our better-known mission is providing affordable access to high-quality healthcare. But we also provide health guidance and education. Enabling LAB to update its program that provides life and work skills to the blind or vision impaired dovetails perfectly with that mission.”

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of LouisianaFounded in New Orleans in 1934, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is the oldest and largest Louisiana-based health insurance company. Blue Cross is a private, fully taxed mutual company, owned by policyholders—not shareholders—and governed by a local Board of Directors. It is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The company and its subsidiaries provide group and individual health insurance plans, life and disability insurance, group voluntary products and administrative services to more than one out of every four Louisiana residents. With headquarters in Baton Rouge and eight district offices, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana employs nearly 2,000 Louisianians who are committed to improving the lives of its customers by providing them with health guidance and affordable access to quality care. Learn more on the company’s website at www.bcbsla.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bluecrossla. Follow Blue Cross on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BCBSLA and CEO Mike Reitz at www.twitter.com/MikeReitzCEO.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally-operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for
more than 106 million
members – one-in-three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com. We encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out The BCBS Blog, for up-to-date information about BCBSA.